MUZAFFARABAD: A grand conference and rally were held in Muzaffarabad to honor the martyrdom anniversaries of Shaheed Muhammad Afzal Guru and Shaheed Maqbool Butt.
The event, organized by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) and the Liberation Cell, commemorated the sacrifices of the two Kashmiri freedom fighters.
Muhammad Afzal Guru was executed in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on February 9, 2013, while Muhammad Maqbool Butt met the same fate in the same jail on February 11, 1984. Both martyrs’ bodies remain buried within the premises of Tihar Jail.
The conference, aimed at renewing the pledge to continue the freedom struggle in Kashmir, saw participation from Hurriyat leaders, political and social activists, religious groups, student organizations, and people from various walks of life.
Former prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Raja Farooq Haider Khan, graced the event as the chief guest, while Deputy Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Sheikh Aqeel-ur-Rehman presided over the gathering.
During the conference, a resolution was unanimously adopted to reaffirm the Kashmiri people’s determination to pursue their legitimate right to freedom.
Speakers at the event paid rich tributes to Shaheed Afzal Guru, Shaheed Maqbool Butt, and other martyrs of Kashmir. They condemned the executions as extrajudicial killings driven by hostility and prejudice against Kashmiris.
Recalling Guru’s execution on charges related to the Indian Parliament attack, the speakers criticized the decision of the Indian Supreme Court, which, they said, aimed to satisfy the collective conscience of the Indian people rather than delivering impartial justice. The speakers highlighted how international judicial institutions ridiculed the verdict for its biased motivations.
They further deplored the denial of Guru’s family’s right to meet him before the execution and the refusal to return his mortal remains to his heirs.
Reiterating their unwavering resolve, the speakers asserted that the Kashmiri people would continue their struggle for complete independence from Indian rule, following in the footsteps of their martyrs.
The conference concluded with a pledge to carry forward the legacy of these freedom fighters until the mission for Kashmiri liberation is achieved.
